Toyota Acceleration Not Caused by Electronic Flaw, Government Concludes

The Transportation Department and NASA on Tuesday announced that they have found no evidence of an electronic flaw in Toyota vehicles that would cause unintended acceleration.

Government officials on Tuesday announced that they have found no evidence of an electronic flaw in Toyota vehicles that would cause unintended acceleration.

Incidents of "sticking" accelerator pedals and a design flaw that could result in accelerator pedals becoming trapped by floor mats continue to be the only known causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota cars, according to the Transportation Department.

"We enlisted the best and brightest engineers to study Toyota's electronics systems, and the verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

At issue are car crashes in 2009 and 2010 involving Toyota vehicles that some drivers said were caused when their vehicles suddenly accelerated. By March 2010, Congress ordered the Transportation Department to look into the issue. LaHood then pulled in the expertise of NASA scientists, who conducted a 10-month analysis to determine whether Toyota's electronic throttles caused the unintended acceleration.

"NASA found no evidence that a malfunction in electronics caused large unintended accelerations," Michael Kirsch, principal engineer and team lead of the study from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), said in a statement. "NASA and NHTSA engineers stood side by side in this study to try to find the root cause of the problem. We have a strong team including some of the best electronics and software experts in NASA."

The NESC was established in 2003 after the Columbia space shuttle accident with the goal of bringing in experts from around the world to help solve complex problems.

DOT said NASA evaluated the electronic circuitry in Toyota vehicles and analyzed more than 280,000 lines of software code for any flaws that could cause acceleration. At Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA tested mechanical components of Toyota cars that might have prompted unwanted throttle opening. At a Michigan facility, meanwhile, NASA experts exposed the cars to electromagnetic radiation to see if that might cause unintended acceleration.

Even though the agencies did not discover any electronic problems with the vehicles, DOT said it will still propose rules by year's end to require brake override systems, keyless ignition system standards, and event data records in all passenger cars. The agency also said it will start "broad research" into the reliability and security of electronic control systems in cars, as well as research the placement and design of accelerator and brake pedals.

In the wake of the controversy, Toyota recalled nearly 8 million vehicles due to the sticky pedal and floor mat issue. The company also paid $48.8 million in civil penalties.

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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